The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has detained 50 people for allegedly stealing manhole covers and lighting, among other items.
The arrests were made during separate searches at hotspots in Kabusa, Garki, Mabushi, and Wuse, according to the police, in coordination with sister security agencies.
Olalere Olayinka, the FCT Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media, revealed that an iron smelting facility was one of the recipients of stolen manhole covers in the city.
Bashir Usman, Sani Isah, Shaibu Ibrahim, Ibrahim Hassan, Mustapha Hassan, Awal Nawan, Umar Aliyu, Auta Umar, Simon Clement, Datti Ibrahim, Mohammed Salim, Ibrahim Ibrahim, Ifeanyi-Chuckwu Emmanuel, Abba Ismail, Najib Abdul, Ahmed Lawal, Rabiu Ibrahim, Adamu Suleiman, Abdulkarim Abdullahi, and Haruna Nasiru are among the suspects.
Ismail Abdullahi, Munir Sada, Ibrahim Yahaya, Yahaya Musa, Dahiru Nasiru, Abdullahi Muhammad, Josua Steven, Livinus Steven, and Abdul Nai’ja are among the others. Promise Abanonum, Ehieze Emeka, Ehieze Justice, Monday Barnabas, Hamisu Iman, Ayuba Danjuma, Suleiman Abu, Nafiu Ahmmed, Kamalu Junaidu, Zaradeen Yakubu, Abdulhadi Adam, Mohammed Ibrahim, Chukwu Emmanuel, Douglas Yahaya, Mohammed Lawal, Auwal Musa, Mohammed Inusa, Tijanni Suleiman, Promise James, Haruna Auwalu, and Abubakar Kabiru.
Tunji Disu, the Commissioner of Police, paraded the suspects in Abuja on Monday and reported that they had recovered at least 25 manhole covers, five solar street lights, 15 streetlight poles that had been cut into smaller pieces, several galvanized poles used to build flyovers, multiple rolls of high voltage AEDC cables, and two locally made pistols.
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Thirteen large solar panels, seven barrels of diesel suspected of being stolen from network masts, several iron cutting tools, two live cartridges, one sharp knife, thirty tubes of triple sub glue, numerous charms, one Volkswagen Sporter bus with registration number BJK 592 XA that was converted into a diesel tanker, one Toyota Carina II vehicle with registration number RBC 312 JL, two reinforced iron doors, and three pumping machines suspected of being used to extract diesel were among the items found among the suspects, he added.
The suspects, according to Disu, were members of a well-organized group that specializes in damaging public buildings and selling them to scrap dealers.
“These syndicates’ wide and well-organized nature is demonstrated by the variety and amount of recovered products, whose operations have seriously harmed public infrastructure projects and services in the FCT.
The FCT Police Command and our sister security services have a zero-tolerance stance against theft and vandalism that jeopardize public safety and infrastructure, he continued.
“Exhibits of interest” were found at the business on the Abuja-Kaduna Road, according to Olayinka, who also said that the things were currently in the police’s custody.
One of the purported recipients of the pilfered manhole covers is Abuja Steel Company, an iron smelting business. Police have seized “exhibits of interest” that were found within the company, which is situated along the Abuja-Kaduna Road.
Additional inquiries are ongoing about the company’s and others’ role in the removal, acquisition, and melting of the manhole covers,” the statement said in part.
